English Bay Blues: A Mass Effect Prequel (Shenko)

Chapter 5

Earth/Canada/English Bay, Vancouver, B.C.

Earth Year: 2173 CE

Kaidan woke as sun caught him full in the face as it rose above the horizon the following the morning.

Grumbling his dismay at waking early, he passed a wearied, skinned palm over his face before opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling above. Remaining still a moment longer, he replayed last night's events in him mind as though it were a bad dream.

Trouble is, he thought grimly, it hadn't been a dream. Especially the part where he'd passed out. His lack of effort in regards to working on controlling his biotics was not just negligent, but dangerous.

Groaning, he eased himself up to a sitting position, his body protesting his every movement, every scrape and bruise making him painfully aware of their existence. He eased to his feet, grimacing as pain lanced through him, thankful that the white-light blinding pain from last night didn't return.

Yeah it really happened, he thought miserably, taking his time getting dressed. He still couldn't believe an Asari had shown up to save his ass. He was never going to live that down. Not that he expected to ever see her again.

All the more reason to stop putting off what he'd been avoiding for so long. He had to get back to his training. Whether he used his abilities or not he had no choice but to work on his stamina and control. He couldn't afford to pass out like that again. If he did, he was certain he wouldn't live to tell about it.

He was still grumbling to himself as he entered the kitchen. Why the hell had he deliberately provoked those guys anyway? What the hell had he been trying to prove? He didn't know and right now he didn't much care, yet it weighed on him even as he shoved it from his mind.

He knew how lucky was to have had that Asari show up when she did. Asari. Yeah, something else he couldn't wrap his head around. An Asari Spectre in downtown Vancouver - what were the odds? He poured himself a large mug of coffee, savouring the bittersweet taste. What was her name again? Aryana? Yeah, Aryana T'Pelo, Spectre. Spectre!

His head began to hurt from all the thinking he was doing, so he took a seat at the kitchen table, allowing his thoughts to dissipate while he enjoyed his coffee. But he couldn't stop thinking about the asari. Spectre, Asari, Alliance military? Shit. What the hell had he walked into last night?

Now that he'd time to think he realized Aryana had seemed to be looking for those guys from the casino. He remembered what she'd said when she'd contacted the Alliance. That she'd found the source of the disturbance, almost as though it wasn't the first time something like that had happened.

His mom entered the kitchen then, her face unreadable as she took in the various cuts and bruises he was sporting. Dressed for the day in a casual but stylish pantsuit, her brown eyes and dark hair matched her son's, though her hair was longer and fell in waves across her shoulders. Pouring herself a steamy mug of coffee, she joined him at the table.

"Good morning," She said mildly, her eyes taking in everything. Like Kaidan, she was more than an expert at observing everything while giving away nothing. At times she didn't like seeing it reflected back at her since it also made it harder for her to read him. It also didn't help knowing that he'd learned how to mask his emotions by watching her. "Didn't hear you come home last night. Must have been late."

"Yeah I uh.. yeah, I'm not sure mom. It was pretty dark." He didn't want to talk about what had happened but there was no way he was going to be able to avoid explaining his appearance.

"I see." She said, her frown increasing. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Um. Not really."

"Kaidan..."